ELBOW DIP
WIDE KICK
RIGHT
WRONG
RIGHT CROSS-OVER
This is one of the most common flaws in swimming. After the arm moves forward through the air (the “recovery”) and enters the water, its job is to slip forward through the water straight ahead of the shoulder. Cross-over is the arm moving laterally, across the center line of the body, as it extends forward. The result is a greater surface area of drag as water pushes against the pinky finger, side of the hand and the entire length of the forearm and the elbow. In swimming, adjusting something a millimeter feels like a mile, so correcting a cross-over needs to feel extreme at first. The hands should seem to be going into the neighboring lane, or the arms should feel as wide as when dancing the Y in the Village People’s famous “YMCA” song.
ELBOW DIP AND OTHER JOINTS AT EXTENSION There is a law in swimming: no matter what part of the stroke the arm is in, the fingers should be below the wrist and the wrist below the elbow. When the arm is fully extended ahead of the body, this law is nearest to being broken. At full extension, the fingers are only slightly below the wrist and the wrist is nearly level with the elbow.
When the elbow dips low, when the wrist softens or when fingers curl or arch, drag is created. This creates a double whammy because these mistakes also have a negative effect on the quality of catch (see the propulsion piece in the upcoming winter issue). The first step to resolution is admitting you have a problem; this may mean
being filmed under water, getting the advice of a professional or even looking forward briefly to see what you are actually doing. Then, make adjustments remembering that moving something a millimeter often feels like a mile.
WIDE KICK
Every body has a wide point — either the torso or hips. The legs can never be allowed outside of that area; a smaller, tighter kick is ideal. A wide or splayed kick exceeds the boundaries of the body’s cylinder and leaves the calf, heel, shin and arch exposed to drag. One common cause is too much knee bend, so make sure the kick is emanating from the hips with only a small amount of knee flexion. A splayed kick can also be a reaction to an imbalance — usually a pull or arm sweep that is crossing too far under the chest and stomach.
Solving any of these issues requires mental presence during each swim. Swim distance and swim pace should be reduced and rest time between sets should be increased to allow for greater, purer focus. When fixing a flaw, it’s not practice that makes perfect, it’s perfect practice that makes perfect.
Ian Murray is a USA Triathlon Level III Coach and host of the Triathlon Training Series DVD
http://TriathlonTrainingSeries.com
WRONG Illustrations by Charlie Jahner
USATRIATHLON.ORG USA TRIATHLON 69
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